Vehicle control device
Provided is a vehicle control device capable of reducing a control gap that occurs when a system is restored to a normal state after a malfunction is corrected, thereby achieving smooth driving performance for a user. A vehicle control device according to the present invention has a first travel control mode and a second travel control mode. When in a transitional state from the second travel control mode to the first travel control mode, the vehicle control device calculates and checks a first control parameter used in the first travel control mode, calculates a second control parameter used in the second travel control mode, and uses the second control parameter for traveling control.
1. A vehicle control device for controlling a traveling operation of a vehicle, the vehicle control device comprising
a processor configured to calculate a control parameter to control the traveling operation of the vehicle, wherein the processor is configured to execute:
a first travel control mode in which the vehicle is caused to travel according to a first control program;
a second travel control mode in which the vehicle is caused to travel according to a second control program, wherein in the second travel control mode a function is degenerated as compared to the first travel control mode; and
a third travel control mode in which the processor calculates a first control parameter to control the traveling operation of the vehicle using the first control program, calculates a second control parameter to control the traveling operation of the vehicle using the second control program, and outputs the first control parameter and the second control parameter to a monitor;
wherein the processor is configured to transition from the third travel control mode to the first travel control mode when it is determined that the first control parameter is normal in the third travel control mode, and return to the second travel control mode from the third travel control mode when it is determined that the first control parameter is not normal,
wherein the processor is configured to measure a time during which a difference between the first control parameter and the second control parameter is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value before returning to the second travel control mode from the third travel control mode, and transition from the third travel control mode to the first travel control mode at a point in time at which the time during which the difference is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value reaches a predetermined time or longer; and
the monitor, which is configured to select one of the first control parameter and the second control parameter and transmit the selected one of the first control parameter and the second control parameter to an input/output unit for control of the vehicle.
2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor comprises:
a first processor core that executes the first control program; and a second processor core that executes the second control program, and
the processor is configured to calculate the second control parameter by causing the second processor core to execute the second control program in parallel with calculating the first control parameter by causing the first processor core to execute the first control program in the third travel control mode.
3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is configured such that, when the second processor core executes the second control program, the processor causes the first processor core to transition to a state where power consumption is lower than power consumption when the first processor core executes the first control program.
4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is configured such that the processor consumes more power when executing the third travel control mode by operating the first processor core and the second processor core in parallel than when executing the second travel control mode.
5. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is configured to initialize the first processor core by restarting the first processor core after transition from the first travel control mode to the third travel control mode and before starting calculation of the first control parameter.
6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 , wherein the first processor core is operated in the first travel control mode and the second travel control mode.
7. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 , further comprising, following restarting of the first processor core, transitioning to the first travel control mode responsive to determining that a difference in an output of the first processor core and an output of the second processor core is less than a predetermined difference.
8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate the control parameter to be used for controlling an on-board inverter mounted on the vehicle.
9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate the control parameter to be used for controlling an engine mounted on the vehicle.
10. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to calculate the control parameter to be used for causing the vehicle to automatically travel in the first travel control mode, and
the processor is configured to calculate the control parameter to be used for manually causing the vehicle to travel in the second travel control mode.
11. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the monitor is configured to select the one of the first control parameter and the second control parameter that is closest to a predetermined normal range.